We have to win on November 5th. Period. And we need to spread the inspiring Harris campaign message as far and wide as possible. But if those political slogans remain slogans, if the words are seen as political messaging, then no matter what happens on November 5th, decisive change .. putting Vance and MAGA and everything they represent back into the box … will not happen. That change we so desperately want depends on building permanent support among the thousands of unaffiliated and disaffected voters in your county … a permanent change in attitude. And this permanent change depends on what happens after the election.

Why does J.D. Vance exist? How has he become a symbol of modern Ohio?

Why are women’s rights under assault all across the state? Why has gerrymandering been authorized by the Ohio Supreme Court? Why are Democrats under attack in rural counties, fearful of even saying they’re Democrats? Why is democracy as we know it under threat in a state that was once a true bellwether for America?

Identity. It’s that simple. The identity of the Democratic Party that FDR founded, the identity that  lifted us out of the Great Depression and united so much of this country … rural and big city alike … has been lost, and nowhere more than in rural Ohio. That emotional identity was at the center of everything Roosevelt achieved. That core sense of who we are carried us through decades of incredible difficulty. It launched us forward towards enormous social progress, the very things we relish today.

The holiday weekend, coming on top of our presence at the Democratic National Convention, has made this an incredibly busy time for everyone. There have been more county adoptions, the push to get Campaigning with Values and Vision out, and following up on all the DNC developments. Much of the news will have to wait for next week, but below are some tidbits.

Hope all of you had a great Labor Day weekend, and are energized for the crucial weeks ahead.

“Turmoil” is one word for the past few weeks. “Fractured” is another. “Despondent and helpless” is how many of us have been left to feel. A major turning point for this party and this country is at hand, and we .. the grassroots .. are powerless to decide what happens.

But there is opportunity in this as well, for us. The current crisis has laid bare the real issues we face. There is no more pretense about this being traditional politics. Winning is no longer about our candidate, and in truth it never has been. Long before the current crisis, we all came to accept that November 5th was about stopping Trump. The candidate became irrelevant other than as a vehicle to achieve it. Do you remember Obama and the emotions of “Yes, we can!”? The feelings of hope? That sort of thing has become a distant memory, lost in everything that has come into play. There is no Obama to excite us today, and there isn’t going to be. That leaves us pushing a negative as our entire campaign, possibly two negatives, and each and every one of us knows that’s a hard sell.

“Stunned” is what we all felt last Thursday, every Democrat in this country who cares .. stunned and demoralized because something much bigger than politics is clearly at stake. As the grassroots, we cannot control what the power figures in Washington are going to do, or those in the state capitol. But identity is one thing we can control. The demand for a resurrected Democratic Party identity based on core values and vision .. values we all believe in, basic beliefs that give us purpose and meaning .. that is very much in our power. That is in your power.

The values that define the Democratic Party are not just political positions; they are the bedrock of American ideals. At our core, Democrats believe that all people are created equal—this is America’s fundamental principle, deeply embedded in our nation’s history and enshrined in our founding documents.

From the stirring words of the Declaration of Independence to the profound promises of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, the narrative of American democracy has been one of relentless pursuit of freedom, justice, and opportunity for all. These documents do not merely outline a system of governance but call for a society that uplifts and provides for every individual, affirming that true democracy is by the people and for the people.

There’s real hope following the recent victory on Issue One in Ohio and the votes in Kansas. These votes weren’t really about abortion, on a fundamental, emotional level they were about who owns a woman’s body. It shows that when people are given a clear choice about basic concepts of justice, especially when they can see a direct effect on their lives .. they respond firmly, and decisively.